The subscription plus cash shop model is a blantant cash grab and I will not participate as a matter of principle no matter how much I like the game.
Not participating in a cash shop on a point of principle is perfectly understandable. Quitting a subscription-based game which a player is enjoying because the developer has opened a cash shop with two low-level items in it is rather less understandable in my view.
I recognise the principle involved, but in order to show his rejection of a cash shop in this or any other game all that any dissenting player has to do is not buy from it. Quitting may be a grander gesture but it has the disadvantage for the player that he is now without the game he was enjoying playing, and such a grand gesture seems unnecessary to me when not favouring the cash shop with his custom would serve the purpose equally well without disadvantaging the player.
It desn't serve the purpose equally well at all. You're still giving money to a game with a cash shop. Even if the game didn't have a subscription you're supporting the game by providing cannon fodder to those who do use the cash shop.
At present day, two items worth nothing, how do one provide cannon fodder to them. It is not like they will get any advantage from the items.
I think shadewalker is correct, it is BS items, it's not in possible to preplace the subscription with these two items. If one likes the game, why do a disservice to oneself and unsubscribe.
Or shure, hope it turns out the way you guys wish, replace the subscription with a fullblown cash-shop.
The subscription plus cash shop model is a blantant cash grab and I will not participate as a matter of principle no matter how much I like the game.
Not participating in a cash shop on a point of principle is perfectly understandable. Quitting a subscription-based game which a player is enjoying because the developer has opened a cash shop with two low-level items in it is rather less understandable in my view.
I recognise the principle involved, but in order to show his rejection of a cash shop in this or any other game all that any dissenting player has to do is not buy from it. Quitting may be a grander gesture but it has the disadvantage for the player that he is now without the game he was enjoying playing, and such a grand gesture seems unnecessary to me when not favouring the cash shop with his custom would serve the purpose equally well without disadvantaging the player.
It desn't serve the purpose equally well at all. You're still giving money to a game with a cash shop. Even if the game didn't have a subscription you're supporting the game by providing cannon fodder to those who do use the cash shop.
At present day, two items worth nothing, how do one provide cannon fodder to them. It is not like they will get any advantage from the items.
I think shadewalker is correct, it is BS items, it's not in possible to preplace the subscription with these two items. If one likes the game, why do a disservice to oneself and unsubscribe.
Or shure, hope it turns out the way you guys wish, replace the subscription with a fullblown cash-shop.
One would have to be extremely gullible to believe they opened a cash shop to sell two useless items. There's no indication they won't continue the subscription and expand the cash shop. It's no disservice to one's self to abandon a game being scuttled by bad decisions.
Then do it when they have both a cash-shop (worth it's name) and subscription.
If people was as diligent in the real life we would not have been hit that hard by the last economical crisis... But this is a game and that is where principles are steadfast.
If you found the game to boring/you stopped enjoying it, by all means quit. But quitting for a reason that is not true, c'mon.
I made money when the economic crisis hit. My principles apply to everything I do. Sorry you don't get to decide when someone else's reasons are true. This just made it clear that all those things wrong with the game are never going to get fixed. They're just going to milk all the cash they can and fold it. You go ahead I ain't coming.
Your principles may or may not be well-founded. Your prediction of the game's future is, however, pure conjecture and as such is completely unfounded.
However, it's a classic case of 'each to his own' and in that sense no-one here is saying you are wrong to hold to your principles, they are pointing out that the only loser from such a stand over a cash shop with only two worthless items in it is the player who quits over it, not Icarus, as that player no longer feels able to play a game he has enjoyed playing. He could instead have continued to make his contribution to the game's funding through his preferred subscription method thereby lessening the pressure on the developers to rely on the alternative funding offered by cash shops.
I made money when the economic crisis hit. My principles apply to everything I do. Sorry you don't get to decide when someone else's reasons are true. This just made it clear that all those things wrong with the game are never going to get fixed. They're just going to milk all the cash they can and fold it. You go ahead I ain't coming.
Your principles may or may not be well-founded. Your prediction of the game's future is, however, pure conjecture and as such is completely unfounded.
However, it's a classic case of 'each to his own' and in that sense no-one here is saying you are wrong to hold to your principles, they are pointing out that the only loser from such a stand over a cash shop with only two worthless items in it is the player who quits over it, not Icarus, as that player no longer feels able to play a game he has enjoyed playing. He could instead have continued to make his contribution to the game's funding through his preferred subscription method thereby lessening the pressure on the developers to rely on the alternative funding offered by cash shops.
Indeed the player is the loser in this case but I do believe that even you wouldn't pay for a product that made you unhappy. Why would you support a game that no longer fulfill your demands? You seem to forget that games are made to please the customer, not the developers.
I unsubscribed because of the Item Shop. It's against my principles to pay for extra features that should be a part of the game I already pay a monthly fee for, no matter what kind of items they may be. Yes, it's sad that I can't play FE anymore, but I would not be able to enjoy it with the new Shop. However, I wrote several mails and threats suggesting alternative methods. A real life swag shop with posters, t-shirts etc.. Something I believe everyone against the new Item Shop should do. To tell them to continue their subscription is nothing else than stupid, sorry, but Icarus has already stated that they'll introduce more items.
really guys??? If you don't like the cash shop then don't buy from it. Games can continue with only having cosmetic items or items that don't adversly affect those who choose not to participate in their cash shop, just look at WoW and their sparkle pony. Honestly I am not surprised by all the "sky is falling" doom and gloom presented hear, that's what mmorpg.com is for and why I don't come here very often. I will continue enjoying FE with or without you and I won't buy anything from the shop, I never do, that doesn't mean that others won't. I don't see a problem with as it stands, since none of us are psychic only time will tell what the future of the item shop will be, anything else is pure speculation. I do hope that this game stays profitable and continues progressing and evolving.
"For a wounded man shall say to his assailant, 'If I live, I will kill you. If I die, You are forgiven.' Such is the rule of honour..."
Your principles may or may not be well-founded. Your prediction of the game's future is, however, pure conjecture and as such is completely unfounded.
Experience and simple logic is the foundation. You don't implement a cash shop to sell two useless Items.
Experience and logic may suggest that Icarus will end up selling more than two worthless items in the cash shop, but they do not suggest - which was your prediction - that "they're just going to milk all the cash they can and fold it". That speculation is completely unfounded.
If a MMO company higher subscription price instead of having cash shops, people would moan and whine about that. So a cash shop with fluffy stuff i don't care much for. Cash Shops with fluffy optional stuff is the future instead of a 25$ per month subscription.
The problem is the items are not 'fluff', the googles have stats and the dog has additional inventory slots. thus moving these items out of the realm of 'fluff'. Sure, people will argue that the stats are meaningless after level xyz or that the dog only has 4 slots, but the fact remains these are not simply cosmetic items.
Had the items been cosmetic only I would have grumbled but stayed as a subscriber, the fact the items are not fluff meant I cancelled my account principle.
I do not play subscription games that include Item stores selling ingame items other than fluff. These companies need to crap or get off the pot when it comes to subscription models. Either go F2P with a proper item store, or subscription based (and if they must then only sell purely cosmetic items) trying to merge the two is just asking for trouble.
I have always had extremely positive things to say about FallenEarth, it was probably my favourite MMO to come out in the last 5 years. I wish the company all the best and really do hope they can make the game a success. I still won't be a part of it however whilst they continue to sell ingame items with stats or advantages and charge a monthly subscription at the same time.
I will. I'm only playing the games that I enjoy. When I stop enjoying them I quit. Even if I may miss some games, or people I played them with, I care nothing more than if the time spent in the game was fun. I.e. I don't continue to play a game because I have character at max level with whatever nice item it may have. Sentimental values don't bring me that far in gaming.
That is close to my only principle about gaming. So that rethoric won't work with me. You may think that you take the higher ground or whatever, I choose to do something I like instead -you don't.
Will they bring in more items into the cash shop and higher the subscription fee. Turn the servers upside down. Whatever in the future. Meh, in the future I might even not care anything about any games or computers.
3) You still enjoyed the game itself, but the idea of a cash shop made you so mad you quit.
Sounds alot like cutting off your own nose to spite your face..
But hey, if holding yourself to a supposedly higher moral standard makes you feel better that's great. Spending pages upon pages with well over a hundred posts to try and cram down other people throats that the reason you made the conscious decision to stop having fun is some kind of unbreakable MMO law and that others playing and ejoying the game should feel less because they do? Well, that's just a stupid argument that is only made by simple minded, immature, people.
Doesn't sound like much of a moral high ground to stand on to me...
"If I'd asked my customers what they wanted, they'd have said a faster horse." - Henry Ford
I simply do not see the point of ragequitting a game just because a cash shop is released. If the items arent available to be bought in game then i would be a bit pissed, but i dont get how a subscription based game cannot have a cash shop. I would happily pay for a game even if it had a cash shop. I play games for fun, if im having fun thats great. If im not, then i dont play.
Quitting a game cos they introduce a cash shop rofl.
Then you should not play MMOs, as all MMOs have cash shops. Official or un-official.
In fact the official ones are better than the un-official ones as they have limited items and they actual are a deterrent to the un-official ones(i e gold sellers).
Oh and it is not the devs that want cash shops it we the players that demand it. They are just responding to that demand, a demand from players who want to buy gold in game.
And if cash shops help the game companies get more income and make better games then i for one are for them, even though i don't actual use them myself.
PS: Even if the items are not fluff what does it matter, since i can buy gold and then go to the auction house and buy what ever item i feel like. If you want to rage, rage to gold buyers, your fellow players, as they are responsible for Gold sellers, a much greater evil then Cash shops.
I almost subscribed to this game today since it's on sale on Steam. Then I saw it had a cash shop. Thanks but no thanks. I've been down that road before. I agree with the OP. I dont care what's in it, they dont spend the time to develop a cash shop just to sell two things. Those XP buffs will likely be next :P I've seen it before, and the cash shop in a P2P game is always the start of a quick milking before the updates stop coming or the plug is pulled. or both over time.
they can do what they like with the cash store in my mind.. if it comes down to the answer "you cant kick ass and have fun without buying xyz from the item store" then maybe i will rethink playing.. but i dont see that happenning.... and if i can still have fun in it right now.. why would i stop my fun.
and yes .. i do have principles.. but i tend to have a set of principles and a "soapbox" in real life.. this is a time to relax and play a game .. not start freaking out...
When a game is doing as bad as FE has been, what do you expect them to do to earn extra money? When they have trouble keeping players whom they've given the client to for free there's little option left but try and milk the players they have. I'm not going to argue over whether cash shops are good or bad as it's a matter of personal preference. As for it being a cash grab, sure I'll buy that, as they obviously need the cash (unlike many other companies).
I view this as a necassary evil on their part at this point, they seem to be out of options, as obviously they're not getting an influx of players anytime soon. They've added quite a bit, tweaked functions added more pvp functionality, yet none of that helped raise their revenue, will a cash shop? Who knows, however, considering they have tried just about everything else I see it as they had little choice but to try.
In the end it still most likely won't work, FE is a niche product there's no question about that, they've advertised all over and have little to show for it. Those who love the game may end up having to support them through microtransactions, as that may be the only way they survive the long haul.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
MMO's either are shipping with a cash shop of some sort, or are having one added later. Just seems to be the standard now, or its quickly becoming the standard.
There's a right way and a wrong way to do cash shops in my opinion. WOW, EQ2, DDO all do it right. The offer cosmetic to minor convenience items that don't really disrupt the way the game is played. Allods does it so horribly wrong, it's in a league of fail all by itself. There is really no way to play Allods without using the cash shop.
Did you bother to look into this at all or did you just see exrtas available for a fee and freak out?
It a matter of principle to some people, and there is there nothing wrong with that.
Funny thing about principles is they only seem to apply to a very limited thing when it suits someone who wants to cry about something, but they dont stick to em. Do the people with these "principles" also pull over, turn off their car, throw away their drivers license, and refuse to ever drive again because "OMG someone with the same car as me drove by and they had more extras that they paid for an i dont have them and its not fair that they have a better car".
Yeah, driving may not be the same situation as a game, but youre still sharing the road with those people, just like sharing the gamespace, yet you dont see people throwing a bitch fit because people bought extras for their own car with their own money, why does it bother people so much that someone else in a game has something they dont?
For me, Cash Shop is a fail for MMOs, either F2P or P2P. I believe Cash Shops destroy MMOs, at least that part of MMOs I love the most. Those that agree with me know what parts I speak of. Those who do not agree never will understand, our point of views are too different to ever find common agreement.
...Yes Publishers and Developers can add Cash Shops in if they like, either from the beginning or later since I will never have a say in the matter....
...Yes Players can ask for Cash Shops in their MMO and utilize Cash Shops if they like, that is none of my business.
There WAS a time not so long ago when P2P MMOs didn't have Cash shops (official ones that is). No, I have never and will never buy Gold/Items from a "Gold Seller". This is the one "crime" I wish I could buy a Hunting license for in real life.
Now almost all P2P MMOs have a Cash Shop or will have one soon. For me this signals the end of my participation in MMOs and since FE now has one I will not be buying it and playing. I had been planning on going to FE once the F2P conversion goes live in LotRO... since I will never agree to a EULA or TOS for a MMO with a Cash Shop ever again. There I will play LotRO until F2P goes live and then never again.... I won't be cancelling my account and no you can't have my stuff... my Kin gets it.
For the record I have agreed to EULA's and TOS's for MMOs with Cash Shops in the past, but after experiencing them I am now convinced that World of Warcraft wasn't the biggest destroyer of old style MMOs... Cash Shops are.... more directly the preference of many Players to want convenience rather than equality, instant gratification instead of well earned reward for perseverance and determination. MMO Publishers and Devs are giving the majority of Players what they want. What the majority of Players NOW want is not what MMOs gave them as they used to be designed, so MMO design is changing to accommodate what Players want now. I do not appreciate or agree with what most Players want from their MMO now in 2010.
For those of you who have no problem playing MMOs with Cash Shops I sincerely wish for you to enjoy your MMO gaming as much as I did over the last decade. It's been a great ride, a very enjoyable hobby, but with the way I feel about Cash Shops, with the way I believe in the idea of "There should be no financial connection/portal between the real and the virtual in MMO Gaming" there is no place for a person like myself in MMOs now.
LotRO will soon have CashShop... leaving it. EvE has plex..which is RMT same as Cash Shop... won't go back to EvE. FE now has CashShop, dangitall I was going here, not now.
Until Cash Shops go away as a trend in MMO Game Design I will say 'Fare Well".
I am the Player that wonders... "What the %#*& just happened?!" ............... "I Believe... There should be NO financial connection or portals between the Real World and the Virtual in MMOs. " __Ever Present Cockroach of the MMO Verses__ ...scurrying to and fro... .munching on bits of garbage... always under foot...
Did you bother to look into this at all or did you just see exrtas available for a fee and freak out?
It a matter of principle to some people, and there is there nothing wrong with that.
Funny thing about principles is they only seem to apply to a very limited thing when it suits someone who wants to cry about something, but they dont stick to em. Do the people with these "principles" also pull over, turn off their car, throw away their drivers license, and refuse to ever drive again because "OMG someone with the same car as me drove by and they had more extras that they paid for an i dont have them and its not fair that they have a better car".
Yeah, driving may not be the same situation as a game, but youre still sharing the road with those people, just like sharing the gamespace, yet you dont see people throwing a bitch fit because people bought extras for their own car with their own money, why does it bother people so much that someone else in a game has something they dont?
Your analogies....they do suck..
QFT. That anaolgy wasn't even in the ballpark of correctness.
I also won't play an p2p MMO that has a cash shop, even if all the items are purely fluff. I will only play a game where everyone pays the same price and has equal access to all items. Sure there will always be a lot of people who have more time to play then I do, so in return they will have more and better items. But as long as the option is there for me to have earned the same items they did, I'm fine with that.
As soon as someone can use cash to get more things then someone else, I'm out.
It seems to me that there's an awful lot of people who are cutting off their nose to spite their face.
It boils down to a simple question for me - regardless of what else is on offer, regardless of who else does what, regardless of the latest distraction from the developer, regardless of the latest "OMG they've ruined the game" rants on the boards, am I having fun playing a game with good value from the subscription? If the answer is "yes" then I play on, if the answer is "no" then I cancel. Anything else is a red herring and no amount of principled self-importance from me will change it anyway.
If a game offers me good entertainment and value for my subscription then I will happily play on, and I would be a fool to myself to do otherwise. Principles are about more important things in my life than whether or not a game has a cash shop that I am under no obligation to use.
GW had a cash shop early on in the form of pvp unlock packs which gave a tremendous ingame advantage, but didn't see much complaining. It's not a matter of "this principle" or "that," but just a purchasing decision based on a publisher's business model. If you want the items in the cash shop, buy them. If you don't like players being able to buy items as opposed to play for them, play something else.
Would it make any difference if the items were touted as "mini expansions?" I don't know, but it would certainly cut down on all the needless cash shop ranting because players seem to find the expansion concept more palatable for some odd reason, and will gladly pay for a game that charges both a sub and expansion pack fees. Once content is classified as part of a cash shop and not an expansion pack, some strange outrage emerges despite the fact that the "cash shop" and "sub + expansion pack" business models are identical in essence.
Either buy the product/service or don't. It's like making a huge deal of boycotting McDonalds because they spend money on promotions and contests like Monopoly that you don't personally play, but thecosts of which are built into the price of the food. An apt example because the average adult meal at McDonald's is about 1/2 the cost of a monthly game sub, yet offers much less comparative value.
A completely individual choice with no big "right or wrong" issues entailed. Most people make the cost of a game sub in -after tax- earnings from one single hour of work. Cash shops are only a raging issue for folks who take the games they play a bit too seriously IMO.
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Except that most gamers don't have principles, only self-interest.
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Plenty of gamers have principles, but some of them don't want to get too hung up on principles when they're talking about playing computer games.
At present day, two items worth nothing, how do one provide cannon fodder to them. It is not like they will get any advantage from the items.
I think shadewalker is correct, it is BS items, it's not in possible to preplace the subscription with these two items. If one likes the game, why do a disservice to oneself and unsubscribe.
Or shure, hope it turns out the way you guys wish, replace the subscription with a fullblown cash-shop.
I'm so broke. I can't even pay attention.
"You have the right not to be killed"
Then do it when they have both a cash-shop (worth it's name) and subscription.
If people was as diligent in the real life we would not have been hit that hard by the last economical crisis... But this is a game and that is where principles are steadfast.
If you found the game to boring/you stopped enjoying it, by all means quit. But quitting for a reason that is not true, c'mon.
I'm so broke. I can't even pay attention.
"You have the right not to be killed"
Your principles may or may not be well-founded. Your prediction of the game's future is, however, pure conjecture and as such is completely unfounded.
However, it's a classic case of 'each to his own' and in that sense no-one here is saying you are wrong to hold to your principles, they are pointing out that the only loser from such a stand over a cash shop with only two worthless items in it is the player who quits over it, not Icarus, as that player no longer feels able to play a game he has enjoyed playing. He could instead have continued to make his contribution to the game's funding through his preferred subscription method thereby lessening the pressure on the developers to rely on the alternative funding offered by cash shops.
Indeed the player is the loser in this case but I do believe that even you wouldn't pay for a product that made you unhappy. Why would you support a game that no longer fulfill your demands? You seem to forget that games are made to please the customer, not the developers.
I unsubscribed because of the Item Shop. It's against my principles to pay for extra features that should be a part of the game I already pay a monthly fee for, no matter what kind of items they may be. Yes, it's sad that I can't play FE anymore, but I would not be able to enjoy it with the new Shop. However, I wrote several mails and threats suggesting alternative methods. A real life swag shop with posters, t-shirts etc.. Something I believe everyone against the new Item Shop should do. To tell them to continue their subscription is nothing else than stupid, sorry, but Icarus has already stated that they'll introduce more items.
really guys??? If you don't like the cash shop then don't buy from it. Games can continue with only having cosmetic items or items that don't adversly affect those who choose not to participate in their cash shop, just look at WoW and their sparkle pony. Honestly I am not surprised by all the "sky is falling" doom and gloom presented hear, that's what mmorpg.com is for and why I don't come here very often. I will continue enjoying FE with or without you and I won't buy anything from the shop, I never do, that doesn't mean that others won't. I don't see a problem with as it stands, since none of us are psychic only time will tell what the future of the item shop will be, anything else is pure speculation. I do hope that this game stays profitable and continues progressing and evolving.
"For a wounded man shall say to his assailant, 'If I live, I will kill you. If I die, You are forgiven.' Such is the rule of honour..."
Experience and logic may suggest that Icarus will end up selling more than two worthless items in the cash shop, but they do not suggest - which was your prediction - that "they're just going to milk all the cash they can and fold it". That speculation is completely unfounded.
If a MMO company higher subscription price instead of having cash shops, people would moan and whine about that. So a cash shop with fluffy stuff i don't care much for. Cash Shops with fluffy optional stuff is the future instead of a 25$ per month subscription.
The problem is the items are not 'fluff', the googles have stats and the dog has additional inventory slots. thus moving these items out of the realm of 'fluff'. Sure, people will argue that the stats are meaningless after level xyz or that the dog only has 4 slots, but the fact remains these are not simply cosmetic items.
Had the items been cosmetic only I would have grumbled but stayed as a subscriber, the fact the items are not fluff meant I cancelled my account principle.
I do not play subscription games that include Item stores selling ingame items other than fluff. These companies need to crap or get off the pot when it comes to subscription models. Either go F2P with a proper item store, or subscription based (and if they must then only sell purely cosmetic items) trying to merge the two is just asking for trouble.
I have always had extremely positive things to say about FallenEarth, it was probably my favourite MMO to come out in the last 5 years. I wish the company all the best and really do hope they can make the game a success. I still won't be a part of it however whilst they continue to sell ingame items with stats or advantages and charge a monthly subscription at the same time.
I will. I'm only playing the games that I enjoy. When I stop enjoying them I quit. Even if I may miss some games, or people I played them with, I care nothing more than if the time spent in the game was fun. I.e. I don't continue to play a game because I have character at max level with whatever nice item it may have. Sentimental values don't bring me that far in gaming.
That is close to my only principle about gaming. So that rethoric won't work with me. You may think that you take the higher ground or whatever, I choose to do something I like instead -you don't.
Will they bring in more items into the cash shop and higher the subscription fee. Turn the servers upside down. Whatever in the future. Meh, in the future I might even not care anything about any games or computers.
I'm so broke. I can't even pay attention.
"You have the right not to be killed"
Lemme get the premise here..
1) You enjoyed the game.
2) They released a cash shop.
3) You still enjoyed the game itself, but the idea of a cash shop made you so mad you quit.
Sounds alot like cutting off your own nose to spite your face..
But hey, if holding yourself to a supposedly higher moral standard makes you feel better that's great. Spending pages upon pages with well over a hundred posts to try and cram down other people throats that the reason you made the conscious decision to stop having fun is some kind of unbreakable MMO law and that others playing and ejoying the game should feel less because they do? Well, that's just a stupid argument that is only made by simple minded, immature, people.
Doesn't sound like much of a moral high ground to stand on to me...
"If I'd asked my customers what they wanted, they'd have said a faster horse." - Henry Ford
I simply do not see the point of ragequitting a game just because a cash shop is released. If the items arent available to be bought in game then i would be a bit pissed, but i dont get how a subscription based game cannot have a cash shop. I would happily pay for a game even if it had a cash shop. I play games for fun, if im having fun thats great. If im not, then i dont play.
I'm not sure if this is a good idea to put cash store in P2P MMOs. Especially the contents that you need to use money to buy.
How do I know next thing they have to charge you extra for Housing that what they were saying in the beginning that you put it in for contents update?
I mean that surely did lose a little trust and faith to this game.
Quitting a game cos they introduce a cash shop rofl.
Then you should not play MMOs, as all MMOs have cash shops. Official or un-official.
In fact the official ones are better than the un-official ones as they have limited items and they actual are a deterrent to the un-official ones(i e gold sellers).
Oh and it is not the devs that want cash shops it we the players that demand it. They are just responding to that demand, a demand from players who want to buy gold in game.
And if cash shops help the game companies get more income and make better games then i for one are for them, even though i don't actual use them myself.
PS: Even if the items are not fluff what does it matter, since i can buy gold and then go to the auction house and buy what ever item i feel like. If you want to rage, rage to gold buyers, your fellow players, as they are responsible for Gold sellers, a much greater evil then Cash shops.
I almost subscribed to this game today since it's on sale on Steam. Then I saw it had a cash shop. Thanks but no thanks. I've been down that road before. I agree with the OP. I dont care what's in it, they dont spend the time to develop a cash shop just to sell two things. Those XP buffs will likely be next :P I've seen it before, and the cash shop in a P2P game is always the start of a quick milking before the updates stop coming or the plug is pulled. or both over time.
they can do what they like with the cash store in my mind.. if it comes down to the answer "you cant kick ass and have fun without buying xyz from the item store" then maybe i will rethink playing.. but i dont see that happenning.... and if i can still have fun in it right now.. why would i stop my fun.
and yes .. i do have principles.. but i tend to have a set of principles and a "soapbox" in real life.. this is a time to relax and play a game .. not start freaking out...
When a game is doing as bad as FE has been, what do you expect them to do to earn extra money? When they have trouble keeping players whom they've given the client to for free there's little option left but try and milk the players they have. I'm not going to argue over whether cash shops are good or bad as it's a matter of personal preference. As for it being a cash grab, sure I'll buy that, as they obviously need the cash (unlike many other companies).
I view this as a necassary evil on their part at this point, they seem to be out of options, as obviously they're not getting an influx of players anytime soon. They've added quite a bit, tweaked functions added more pvp functionality, yet none of that helped raise their revenue, will a cash shop? Who knows, however, considering they have tried just about everything else I see it as they had little choice but to try.
In the end it still most likely won't work, FE is a niche product there's no question about that, they've advertised all over and have little to show for it. Those who love the game may end up having to support them through microtransactions, as that may be the only way they survive the long haul.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
MMO's either are shipping with a cash shop of some sort, or are having one added later. Just seems to be the standard now, or its quickly becoming the standard.
There's a right way and a wrong way to do cash shops in my opinion. WOW, EQ2, DDO all do it right. The offer cosmetic to minor convenience items that don't really disrupt the way the game is played. Allods does it so horribly wrong, it's in a league of fail all by itself. There is really no way to play Allods without using the cash shop.
Your analogies....they do suck..
For me, Cash Shop is a fail for MMOs, either F2P or P2P. I believe Cash Shops destroy MMOs, at least that part of MMOs I love the most. Those that agree with me know what parts I speak of. Those who do not agree never will understand, our point of views are too different to ever find common agreement.
...Yes Publishers and Developers can add Cash Shops in if they like, either from the beginning or later since I will never have a say in the matter....
...Yes Players can ask for Cash Shops in their MMO and utilize Cash Shops if they like, that is none of my business.
There WAS a time not so long ago when P2P MMOs didn't have Cash shops (official ones that is). No, I have never and will never buy Gold/Items from a "Gold Seller". This is the one "crime" I wish I could buy a Hunting license for in real life.
Now almost all P2P MMOs have a Cash Shop or will have one soon. For me this signals the end of my participation in MMOs and since FE now has one I will not be buying it and playing. I had been planning on going to FE once the F2P conversion goes live in LotRO... since I will never agree to a EULA or TOS for a MMO with a Cash Shop ever again. There I will play LotRO until F2P goes live and then never again.... I won't be cancelling my account and no you can't have my stuff... my Kin gets it.
For the record I have agreed to EULA's and TOS's for MMOs with Cash Shops in the past, but after experiencing them I am now convinced that World of Warcraft wasn't the biggest destroyer of old style MMOs... Cash Shops are.... more directly the preference of many Players to want convenience rather than equality, instant gratification instead of well earned reward for perseverance and determination. MMO Publishers and Devs are giving the majority of Players what they want. What the majority of Players NOW want is not what MMOs gave them as they used to be designed, so MMO design is changing to accommodate what Players want now. I do not appreciate or agree with what most Players want from their MMO now in 2010.
For those of you who have no problem playing MMOs with Cash Shops I sincerely wish for you to enjoy your MMO gaming as much as I did over the last decade. It's been a great ride, a very enjoyable hobby, but with the way I feel about Cash Shops, with the way I believe in the idea of "There should be no financial connection/portal between the real and the virtual in MMO Gaming" there is no place for a person like myself in MMOs now.
LotRO will soon have CashShop... leaving it.
EvE has plex..which is RMT same as Cash Shop... won't go back to EvE.
FE now has CashShop, dangitall I was going here, not now.
Until Cash Shops go away as a trend in MMO Game Design I will say 'Fare Well".
I am the Player that wonders... "What the %#*& just happened?!"
...............
"I Believe... There should be NO financial connection or portals between the Real World and the Virtual in MMOs. "
__Ever Present Cockroach of the MMO Verses__
...scurrying to and fro... .munching on bits of garbage... always under foot...
QFT. That anaolgy wasn't even in the ballpark of correctness.
I also won't play an p2p MMO that has a cash shop, even if all the items are purely fluff. I will only play a game where everyone pays the same price and has equal access to all items. Sure there will always be a lot of people who have more time to play then I do, so in return they will have more and better items. But as long as the option is there for me to have earned the same items they did, I'm fine with that.
As soon as someone can use cash to get more things then someone else, I'm out.
It seems to me that there's an awful lot of people who are cutting off their nose to spite their face.
It boils down to a simple question for me - regardless of what else is on offer, regardless of who else does what, regardless of the latest distraction from the developer, regardless of the latest "OMG they've ruined the game" rants on the boards, am I having fun playing a game with good value from the subscription? If the answer is "yes" then I play on, if the answer is "no" then I cancel. Anything else is a red herring and no amount of principled self-importance from me will change it anyway.
If a game offers me good entertainment and value for my subscription then I will happily play on, and I would be a fool to myself to do otherwise. Principles are about more important things in my life than whether or not a game has a cash shop that I am under no obligation to use.
GW had a cash shop early on in the form of pvp unlock packs which gave a tremendous ingame advantage, but didn't see much complaining. It's not a matter of "this principle" or "that," but just a purchasing decision based on a publisher's business model. If you want the items in the cash shop, buy them. If you don't like players being able to buy items as opposed to play for them, play something else.
Would it make any difference if the items were touted as "mini expansions?" I don't know, but it would certainly cut down on all the needless cash shop ranting because players seem to find the expansion concept more palatable for some odd reason, and will gladly pay for a game that charges both a sub and expansion pack fees. Once content is classified as part of a cash shop and not an expansion pack, some strange outrage emerges despite the fact that the "cash shop" and "sub + expansion pack" business models are identical in essence.
Either buy the product/service or don't. It's like making a huge deal of boycotting McDonalds because they spend money on promotions and contests like Monopoly that you don't personally play, but thecosts of which are built into the price of the food. An apt example because the average adult meal at McDonald's is about 1/2 the cost of a monthly game sub, yet offers much less comparative value.
A completely individual choice with no big "right or wrong" issues entailed. Most people make the cost of a game sub in -after tax- earnings from one single hour of work. Cash shops are only a raging issue for folks who take the games they play a bit too seriously IMO.